Abstract
This paper describes a novel model of transition mechanism from steady to oscillatory thermocapillary flow in liquid bridge configuration. The velocity distribution on free surface of high Prandtl number (Pr) fluid is mainly considered in this transition model. In order to evaluate the model, two-dimensional calculations with the wide range of liquid bridge size have been done. The thermophysical properties of Pr=67 fluid (5cSt Silicone oil) are used for the calculations. The results indicate that the velocity distribution on free surface is affected by the difference of inner flow pattern, which depends on the liquid bridge size. This result finally derives a novel parameter which indicates the transition phenomena with wide range Pr number fluids.
